Episode 3: The Red Glasses
Synopsis: Rei reflects on how he became a member of the Iwatobi Swim Club in typical Ryagazuki style, which is to say, funny without any intention of being so. From his obsession with how food looks to his choice of eyewear, Rei is all about things being beautiful and it doesn't matter what others think. When he decides to quit track, it's a challenge to tell the team captain, but Rei manages to get the message across. Rei is sinking to the bottom of the Samezuka Academy swimming pool wondering if he's about to lose consciousness and what dying will be like. Wil he see swirling lanterns as he's been told? But why? And dying now won't be beautiful, not while only wearing a speedo swim suit. No. The first thing he remembers being "not beautiful" is a cheeseburger from a fast food restaurant because it doesn't look anything like its picture. When he asks his mother about it, she says, "Rei, you're really fussy." Rei thinks being fussy is fine and that people accept things too easily. For example, the color of eyeglass frames has to be black for boys and red for girls, but when the time comes for Rei to get eyeglasses, he falls in love with a pair of red frames. He's teased by his primary school classmates, so he counters with scientific arguments until high school when the teasing morphs into, "They just don't suit you." This bothers Rei even more than the taunts about being a boy-girl and he begins to think he's a lot like the "not beautiful" cheeseburger of his childhood. When he speaks to his older brother about it, he's told, "Rei, you overthink things. Doesn't that make life difficult?" It's a true statement but does it mean he's a right brain thinker or a left brain thinker?... That's when he is pulled out of the pool by Makoto-senpai. Sitting poolside with a towel over his head, Rei looks up only when he hears Nagisa calling, "Haru-chan-san!" and sees said person on the starting block. As Haru dives in, Rei experiences an epiphany unlike any other. Haru's swimming is the epitome of beauty and it fills Rei with awe, admiration, envy and a wish that he could swim with this person. The only thing stopping him is that Rei can't swim. Nagisa is with him when they bid Makoto and Haru goodbye at the train station. The blond boy turns to him with wide eyes and innocently says, "About your glasses..." and as Rei begins to explain his choice, he hears Nagisa laugh and comment, "They really suit you!" That's when Rei lets go of calculations and decides to go with the flow. He thinks about how men and women are drawn to their opposites by nature, except he's drawn to Haruka and Nagisa, yet they are all boys. This confuses Rei so, once again, he asks his brother about it and is told that although he thinks of himself as a logical person, he's really an emotional one. Rei considers this might be true but won't budge when his brother adds that his standards are too high. The following day, Rei goes to see Sera-senpai, head of the track team, in order to tell him he's quitting Track Club in order to join Swim Club. Sera-senpai is friendly and Rei feels an affinity with him. He immediately doubts his decision and begins, then steers every conversation about quitting the team onto another topic. Finally, Sera-senpai asks, "Do you want to quit the club?" Rei is dumbfounded, but Sera-senpai had noticed the swim boys showing up at track practice daily. A bit sad, but understanding, Sera-senpai releases Rei of his obligation, overwhelming the pole-vaulter with emotion for his kindness. That afternoon, Rei decides to make one last vault as freely as possible. He soars upwards with arms spread wide and a loud scream. Then his left pinky toe hits the bar and both bar and he tumble to the mat. It's a "not beautiful" jump in the eyes of onlookers, but to Rei Ryugazaki, it's the most beautiful pole jump he has ever performed in his life. Category:Free! (Novelization) Category:Episodes (Novelization)